Cheap ways to keep your employees happy in the workplace

It’s important to keep your staff happy. We all know that. But as an employer, it can be difficult to know how to achieve this. Give everyone a raise? Dish out company cars? Free lunches for all? These ideas seem pretty expensive. However, there are ways you can boost staff morale without spending too much money. And your staff will thank you for it!

Idea 1: Tell your staff how much you value them.

You might feel it, but do you actually say it? It’s important to actually tell your staff that you value them, but remember to be genuine. Send emails thanking staff after a deadline has been met, or that you were pleased with the way they handled a situation. Whatever it is, an email takes only a minute to write and can mean a lot to an employee who could be feeling overworked and undervalued. It’s also totally free to do…

Idea 2: Make the office more exciting.

The office can be a dull place to work in everyday, so why not make it more exciting for staff. Decorate the room for Christmas, or surprise employees with free snacks on a Friday. Fruitful Office, a company offering fruit baskets to office based workers across the UK, say that since they started distributing fruit, workers have been more satisfied and felt more valued by their bosses. Staff also remarked the baskets are a point of conversation amongst staff, helping to differentiate companies and improving their corporate image and reputation. Those little purchases could add up to mean a lot!

Idea 3: Plan an afternoon out.

Getting employees together away from the office doesn’t have to be very expensive. Why not plan an activity afternoon, a trip to see a local play or even get your staff members to rock up at the beach on a warm summer’s day! Your employees will not only feel happy and relaxed, they can get to know each other better, improving communication in the company. You may see your productivity levels also go up…

Idea 4: Ask staff what they want.

Who asks the staff what they actually want? If you open communication channels, you may find that some useful ideas come to light. You may find out that a casual dress down day is something a lot of staff want (and is easy and free for you to agree to!) You may also find that a restructure in how the office is set up could also benefit employees. More fan heaters? More plants? More water dispensers? Whatever your staff ask for or are concerned about, consider it carefully. It could really boost productivity and morale when the staff know you are ‘listening.’ Of course, you can’t grant it all, but you can definitely consider some options.